What to do about an earful

Imagine this: I was in New York last week and everyone was speaking English.  Everyone and the radios and the TVs too. And this was my struggle, because sometimes understanding the language is more of a dilemma than one might think.

You see, Spain has spoiled me.  In a world where I am not fluent in the language, there is no need to multitask hearing.  Sitting in a coffee shop in Madrid, for example, there is undoubtedly a nearby table overcrowded with gossiping señoras – ladies adept at speaking and listening simultaneously at high volume.  Under normal circumstances, I’d high-tail it out of there (unless making a racket myself) but because of the speed and exuberance of what’s coming out of their mouths, I can stay put.  There’s simply no chance of my being distracted by the conversation.

The same ignorant bliss cannot be found in the US.  Often, the only thing I can focus on in a Manhattan restaurant is the couple down the length of the bar who may or may not be on a date.  Or, drift an ear left and there is Suzy who is having an issue at work.  Her boss doesn’t know how to manage and what’s worse is she had to leave early today to bring one of her kids to an afterschool class.  And did you see the new little shop around the corner?

Now, the first few days of this are fantastic.  I suppose I’m nosy.  But after awhile, taking in – and investing in – so many conversations, often while listening to the radio or TV news programs and carrying on a conversation myself, is too much of an earful.  It all turns to brain buzz.

There is always noise pollution in cities, Madrid and NYC alike. Buses rumble past and taxis honk while we wait for the walk sign to turn green.  In our apartments, music from the upstairs neighbor floods the stairwell and trucks bang down the street with deliveries.

But the spoken word is so much more than byproduct noise.  It is something that comes from within us and moves towards someone else.  It is how we understand one another; so how can we make sure it has a chance in such a noisy world?

My Spain, where language noise goes through a filter, cannot last forever.  Eventually I’ll learn Spanish.

Next stop China?